Gotham Teaser Reveals Origin of Bane's Name

CBR

By Ian Cardona

Published Feb 1, 2019

The promo for the next episode of Gotham, "13 Stitches," will reveal the origin of the name Bane, the evil alter ego of Eduardo Dorrance.

Last night, the latest episode of Gotham, "Pena Dura" featured the debut of Shane West's much-discussed character, Eduardo Dorrance. The character's introduction is notable because it's been confirmed that Dorrance is actually the Fox series' version of the Venom-powered Batman villain, Bane.

While the character is somewhat of a departure from what fans have seen in the comic books, the promo for the series' next episode, "13 Stitches," has revealed that not only will Dorrance go through a physical transformation, he will be also be christened as the one and only Bane.

Dorrance first appeared in Gotham as a fellow army buddy of Jim Gordon's, from his days before he was a police detective in Gotham City. While he appeared as a friend dispatched by the government to help the struggling city, it was later revealed that Dorrance has more nefarious plans as he enacts the orders of Secretary Walker.

However, the promo has revealed that, in the next episode, Dorrance will go through an ordeal that will lead to him needing to breathe in a chemical substance through a mask. "You'll be the bane of anyone who opposes us," a mysterious woman tells him, as she gives him the mask.

The origin of the name is fairly straightforward and perhaps even a little cheesy, but it's exactly the sort that Gotham has given us these past five years. While we don't know who this woman is, it's a safe bet that she might actually be Secretary Walker, given that the two are already in cahoots.

In the comic books, Bane's father was named Edmund Dorrance, which has led some to believe that West's character is actually the father of the villain most famous for breaking the Batman's back. However, it seems that Gotham is instead mixing the two characters together, with a dash of Tom Hardy's version of the villain, as seen in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

The chemical toxin that gives Bane his superpowers, Venom, first appeared in the Season 1 episode "Viper." We have yet to see if "13 Stitches" will tie back to that episode, or if this Bane will have a different toxin pumping through his system.

Gotham will not feature a new episode next Thursday, but will instead return with "13 Stitches" in two weeks.

Airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, Gotham stars Ben McKenzie as James Gordon, Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock, David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne, Robin Lord Taylor as Penguin, Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle, Erin Richards as Barbara Kean and Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth.